What do marmoset monkeys, jelly fish, humans, and Science Fiction have in common?
They all have the potential to glow green.
In a recent article in the Calgary Herald, scientists have taken the fluorescent gene found in jelly fish and spliced it with a marmoset monkey embryo; all for development in human medical breakthroughs. The result? A monkey that now glows green under a fluorescent light.
The “green monkeys” are helping scientists to better understand the human genome in order to “cure” certain diseases and illnesses. The stuff of science fiction appears to be coming true in real life.
This article is very similar to breakthroughs that “occur” in science fiction stories; particularly, The Okal Rel Saga. In Lynda Williams genetically created world, such experiments were carried resulting in what are described in the books as being the “Lorel Experiments” (for information on what those experiments were, check out Absolute XPress’ title of the same name by Lynda Williams at http://www.absolute-x-press.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&produc...). These experiments were carried out in the name of science to create not only a stronger human, but one immune to disease and illness.

While orders for these “green monkeys” are not being taken, orders for the newest book in Lynda Williams Saga — Far Arena (out in June) and Pretenders (now available) — are being taken!

American Library Association Goes Mobile with Mosio for Annual Conference
Mosio’s Text a Librarian to Power Mobile Information Services for Attendees

San Francisco, CA – When the world’s oldest and largest library association meets the nation’s biggest convention center, there is a lot of ground to cover. This year, the American Library Association (ALA) is partnering with Mosio to maximize attendee experience at its annual conference by offering mobile information via text messaging.

An estimated 25,000 librarians and information professionals from across the U.S. and abroad will attend the ALA Annual conference, the largest gathering in the library industry. This year’s event, held in July at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, offers over 300 educational programs, 2,000 committee meetings and activities, and a massive convention center featuring over 1,000 exhibitors. Attendees have a lot of conference information to digest over a large space, including programming schedules, member services, exhibitor locations, and what to do while in Chicago.

Over the course of the 7 day conference, 250 volunteer ALA Ambassadors will utilize Mosio’s Text a Librarian technology to respond to questions from attendees wherever they are. The service, dubbed "Text an ALA Ambassador" for the conference, enables attendees to text questions from their mobile phones and ALA Ambassadors to answer via a web interface.

“We are excited to partner with Mosio on our first-ever mobile information service,” said John Chrastka, ALA’s Director for Membership Development. “Adding this mobile element to the helpful service that Ambassadors already provide will benefit conference attendees, speakers and exhibitors to get the most out of their show experience by being able to get all the information they need while on the go.”

Launched at ALA Midwinter conference in Denver, Mosio’s Text a Librarian enables libraries to easily implement SMS/Text Messaging to reference and patron services. Patrons text questions to their libraries, and librarians respond by typing answers on a private website. The service is now being used in a number of public and academic libraries across the country.

“Offering Text a Librarian at ALA’s biggest event of the year is a perfect use of the technology,” said Noel Chandler, Mosio CEO and Co-Founder. “We created the service by asking librarians what would make an SMS reference solution easy to implement and use, so having it available to everyone at the conference is very exciting."

In addition to in-person support at information desks, ALA Ambassadors will respond to text message inquiries during regular conference hours from Thursday, July 9th through Tuesday, July 14th.

###
About Mosio’s Text a Librarian
Accessible by over 250 million U.S. mobile phones, Text a Librarian is a mobile reference service technology developed for libraries utilizing Mosio’s award-winning mobile questions and answers technology and consulting with reference & patron services librarians to find out what would make it useful, accessible and affordable for libraries to use. For more information regarding Text a Librarian, please visit www.textalibrarian.com.

About ALA
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 64,000 members. Its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information. ALA offers professional services and publications to members and nonmembers. www.ala.org

Laingsburg Public Library in Shiawassee County, Michigan has gone live with Evergreen, the consortial-quality open-source library automation software. Equinox Software Inc., “The Evergreen Experts,” oversaw data migration and software configuration and will provide round-the-clock technical support.
Laingsburg Public Library is the sixth addition to Michigan Evergreen, a shared-catalog project administered by the Michigan Library Consortium (MLC). Grand Rapids, Branch District, Niles District, and Traverse Area District Libraries all went live with Evergreen in 2008, while Ovid-Elsie Area Schools joined Michigan Evergreen in April 2009.
“The growing Evergreen presence in Michigan is yet more proof that Evergreen scales to the largest library installations,” said Brad LaJeunesse, Equinox company president. “The ability to grow super-large library consortia—without relinquishing your data or control of your software—is key to Evergreen’s success.”
Laingsburg, Michigan is located about 15 miles northeast of Lansing. The public library was founded in 1905 and today contains close to 12,000 bibliographic items and serves approximately 3,800 patrons. For more information about the Michigan Evergreen project, see the project wiki at http://mlcnet.org/wiki.

About Evergreen
Evergreen is consortial-quality, open-source library software initially developed to support Georgia PINES, a resource-sharing consortium of over 270 public libraries. Evergreen was designed from the ground up to be robust, fault-tolerant, service-oriented, and standards-based. Evergreen nimbly evolves to meet the needs of very large, high-transaction, multi-site consortia, while elegantly scaling down to the smallest library sites.
The growing, multinational Evergreen development community has shepherded Evergreen through a series of carefully-planned releases that have further strengthened Evergreen’s consortial capabilities while adding popular and useful functionality. Evergreen 2.0, due out in 2009, will add acquisitions, serials, and reserves to Evergreen’s outstanding functionality.
From its debut in September 2006, Evergreen has earned acclaim and praise from users worldwide, including a Technology Collaboration Award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional Evergreen implementations include consortial projects such as Evergreen Indiana, and British Columbia SITKA, and libraries such as Kent County Public Library in Maryland, Marshall Public Library in Missouri, the National Weather Center Library, and the University of Prince Edward Island.
Other libraries contracting with Equinox software for future Evergreen services include King County Library System (a public library system in Washington State), the thirteen libraries of Natural Resources Canada, the North Texas Regional Library System, and South Carolina LENDS, a newly-formed 11-library consortium. Additional libraries “go it alone” with Evergreen by providing their own migration and support, which further demonstrates the power, ease, reliability, and true openness of this state-of-the-art library software.
For more information about Evergreen, see http://evergreen-ils.org.
About Equinox Software, Inc.
Founded by the original Evergreen designers and developers, Equinox Software is a growing team of skilled developers and other professionals who provide comprehensive support for Evergreen, the consortial-quality, open source Integrated Library System (ILS). Equinox develops, supports, trains, migrates, integrates, and consults on Evergreen, and engages with the rapidly expanding Evergreen community. Instead of one-size-fits-all support, Equinox works closely with libraries to ensure Evergreen is implemented in the manner that best fits their individual needs.
In addition to support, custom development and integration services, Equinox offers complete Evergreen hosting packages for libraries wishing to outsource their ILS infrastructure. Equinox also provides consulting services for libraries seeking more insight into the value proposition of open source software.
Press contact: Corinne Hall, corinne@esilibrary.com, 678-269-6113
For more information on Equinox Software, please visit http://www.esilibrary.com.

Evergreen is open source software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL. Evergreen and the Evergreen logo are trademarks of the Georgia Public Library Service.

Pioneering Program Set to Bring Thousands of iPod and iPhone-compatible Audiobooks to Library Patrons

LA VERGNE, TN – Ingram Digital, an Ingram Content Group company focused on solutions for digital content management, distribution and promotion, today announced the launch of MyiLibrary Audio, an advanced audiobook offering for libraries. Featuring thousands of titles from more than twenty imprints, MyiLibrary Audio is the first fully iPod, iPod touch and iPhone-compatible solution tailored to the needs of library patrons that is also compatible with both WMA and MP3 devices.

Audiobooks available through MyiLibrary Audio are accessed on Ingram Media Manager, a user-friendly, Mac and PC-compatible application for managing the circulation of digital content. All titles are downloadable and may be played on hundreds of WMA and MP3 devices in addition to iPods and iPhones. MyiLibrary Audio also offers full control over the lending period, as well as tools to help libraries alert patrons of title availability and gather feedback on current inventory.

“Our library customers have been reporting a growing demand for audio content from patrons,” commented Rich Rosy, Vice President and General Manager of Ingram Digital Institutional Solutions. “At the same time, library managers are facing heightened levels of accountability with regards to content acquisition strategies and investments. We created a solution that not only enables libraries to launch a flexible and secure audio program, but also empowers managers with tools that engage patrons to maximize circulation and satisfaction at a low cost.”

Ingram Media Manager was designed to meet the needs of both publishers and libraries for effective digital rights management, while also ensuring a rich end-user experience. As a result, Ingram’s audiobook platform has emerged as a top choice for front-list titles from such prominent publishers as Random House, Simon & Schuster and Penguin. Baltimore County Public Library, the Califa Group and Los Gatos Public Library are the first institutions to sign on to offer MyiLibrary Audio.

“Thanks to our longstanding role in the content industry, Ingram Digital is uniquely positioned to aggressively expand what is already a deep and varied inventory of audiobook titles,” said Rosy. “MyiLibrary Audio will be a key component of Ingram Digital’s strategy to deliver digital content in all its forms to the widest possible cross-section of channels.”

ABOUT INGRAM

Ingram Content Group provides a broad range of physical and digital services to the book industry. Ingram is a leading wholesaler of trade books, spoken audio, magazines, and a leading provider of demand-driven printing and digital solutions for publishers. Ingram provides librarians and booksellers with immediate access to the largest selection of books and book-related products in the industry. Ingram’s operating units are Ingram Book Company, Lightning Source Inc., Ingram Digital, Ingram Periodicals Inc., Ingram International Inc., Ingram Library Services Inc., Spring Arbor Distributors Inc., Ingram Publisher Services Inc., Tennessee Book Company LLC, and Coutts Information Services. For more information, visit www.talktoingram.com.

DENVER (May 20, 2009) – The Pasco County Library System, which is no stranger to distinction, has added another feather to its illustrious cap. The award-winning network of eight libraries in west central Florida has partnered with The Library Corporation to beta test TLC’s LS2 PAC module for its CARL•X™ Integrated Library System (ILS).

The Pasco County Library System is TLC’s first CARL•X system to implement LS2 PAC in a live ILS environment. The initial implementation includes LS2 PAC’s cutting-edge features, including user reviews, ratings, and tags; product links to Amazon.com; faceted search and navigation capabilities; and list sharing.

“We are excited to offer our patrons features they have wanted for a very long time. They will be able to create and maintain their own wish lists, manage their account information, check the New York Times Best Seller list, and place their own holds all from within a single catalog,” said Linda Allen, director of the Pasco County Library System.

“Our catalog has a new look and feel,” said Ruth Urbanski, Pasco’s Technical Services Division manager. “I’m excited that patrons will be able to write their own reviews and publish them. When they place a hold on a popular title, they can now suspend the hold when they go on vacation without losing their place in the hold queue. And they can activate it themselves when they return. This will be big hit with our users!”

The LS2 PAC module is beautiful software that offers experiences similar to those found in the best Web 2.0 applications, such as RSS features from popular Internet and other Pasco library sites, and includes book jackets from the library system’s collection. (You may view this yourself by logging on to http://ls2.pascolibraries.org.)

The LS2 PAC module is designed to work with CARL•X and TLC’s other ILS, Library•Solution®. CARL•X is a next-generation automation solution designed for (and by) medium- to large-size public libraries and library systems. It uses established, thoughtfully created design and development principles to showcase libraries’ individual strengths while freeing staff from having to perform routine functions.

“Although TLC has deployed LS2 PAC with our Library•Solution product previously, we are very excited to work with Pasco County on our initial deployment of LS2 PAC with CARL•X,” said Paul Leppert, vice president of TLC Denver. “We work closely with all of our libraries, and Pasco has been a great partner to work with on this project. It is obvious they are dedicated to providing their patrons the highest quality of service,” Leppert said of the library system that has an annual circulation of nearly 2.1 million books and other items.

It takes a powerful automation system to handle the library needs of a bustling region like the Greater Tampa Bay Metropolitan Area, and the combination of CARL•X and the LS2 PAC will further enhance the Pasco County Library System’s ability to serve its 406,898 residents. TLC works in partnership with the library system to ensure proper oversight of 226,000 book titles and 589,941 items, including an impressive collection of CDs and DVDs.

The Pasco County Library System has earned numerous honors since its establishment in 1980. In 2008, for example, it was presented with the Florida Library of the Year Award from the Florida Library Association, and Libraries Director Linda Allen was one of just 10 librarians nationally to receive the "I Love My Librarian" award from the Carnegie Corp. of New York and the New York Times.

For the Pasco County Library System, books are just the beginning. TLC is happy to be a part of its continuing journey.

About The Library Corporation:
TLC, with offices in Inwood, W.Va., Denver, and Singapore, is owned and operated by the same family that founded the company nearly 35 years ago. Its products and services include library automation systems and software, cataloging and authority control solutions, automated material handling systems, and RFID technology. For more information about TLC, contact Lisa Prodywus at lprodywus@TLCdelivers.com or 1.800.325.7759. To learn more about CARL•X or the LS2 PAC, visit www.TLCdelivers.com or www.LS2delivers.com.